American film producer and actor (1963?1986)
Gian-Carlo Coppola
(September 17, 1963 ? May 26, 1986) was an American film producer and actor. He was the oldest child of set decorator/artist
Eleanor Coppola
(
nee
Neil) and film director
Francis Ford Coppola
, and brother to screenwriter/producer
Roman Coppola
and director
Sofia Coppola
.
Early life
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Coppola was born in
Los Angeles
,
California
, to set decorator/artist
Eleanor Coppola
(
nee
Neil) and film director
Francis Ford Coppola
. As the eldest Coppola sibling, he was the older brother to
Roman
and
Sofia
.
Career
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Gian-Carlo began his professional film-making career at the age of sixteen, working closely with his father. Like his brother and sister, Gian-Carlo?known to his family and friends as Gio?often featured in his father's movies as background characters (
The Godfather
,
The Conversation
,
Apocalypse Now Redux
and
Rumble Fish
), later acting as associate producer for
Rumble Fish
and
The Outsiders
, and second unit director on
The Cotton Club
.
In
The Godfather
, he appeared with his brother Roman as the two sons of
Robert Duvall
's
Tom Hagen
character, and they can be seen during the street fight and
Vito Corleone
's funeral right behind Duvall and
Al Pacino
.
During the pre-production phase of
Gardens of Stone
, Gian-Carlo was given the responsibility of filming the rehearsals and supervising the electronic cinema staff. There was also potential for Gian-Carlo to intern with director
Steven Spielberg
to work on the television series
Amazing Stories
before his death. Director Penny Marshall had also hired him to work on the second unit for her feature film
Jumpin' Jack Flash
.
Death
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Coppola was killed in a speedboating incident on
Memorial Day
, 1986, aged 22, in
Annapolis, Maryland
.
[1]
Griffin O'Neal
, who was piloting the boat, had attempted to pass between two slow-moving boats, unaware that the boats were connected by a towline. While O'Neal barely had time to duck, Coppola was struck and killed.
[2]
At the time of the incident, O'Neal was being directed by Francis Ford Coppola in
Gardens of Stone
and was subsequently replaced. O'Neal was later charged with
manslaughter
. He ultimately pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of "negligent operation of a boat", was fined $200 and sentenced to 18 months' probation in 1987.
[3]
He eventually received an 18-day jail sentence for not performing 400 hours of community service as ordered.
[
citation needed
]
Posthumous
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At the time of Coppola's death, his fiancee Jacqui de la Fontaine was two months pregnant with their only daughter,
Gian-Carla "Gia" Coppola
(born January 1, 1987), who became a writer-director (
Palo Alto
(2013)).
Francis Ford Coppola subsequently dedicated 1988's
Tucker: The Man and His Dream
to his son. A scene in Francis Ford Coppola's 2011 film
Twixt
shows the death of a character as being similar to his son's death. Eleanor Coppola's touring art installation,
Circle of Memory
, commemorates the life of her son, and has been exhibited in San Diego, Oakland, Santa Fe, Montpellier, Salzburg, Stockholm, and Oslo.
Selected filmography
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References
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External links
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1st generation
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2nd generation
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3rd generation
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4th generation
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See also
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